Spirometer



(No Model.)

D. A. A. BUCK.

SPIROMBTER.

No. 325,784. Patented Se t. 8, 1885.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

n. Azno A.'BUOK, or WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT.

'SPIROMETER.

. SPECIFICATION forming part'of Letters Patent No. 325,784, dated September 8,1885.

Application filed April 19, 1884. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it 11mg concern.-

Be it known that I, D. Azno A. BUCK, of \Vaterbury, in the county of New Haven, and in the State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spirometers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view from the front of my apparatus arranged for use. Fig. 2 is a like view of the same from the rear. Fig} 3 is a central section upon line w .90 of said figures. Fig. 4 is a like view of the same upon line 2 z of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the parts of the piston separated from each other, and Fig. 6 is a section of the same united.

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of the figures.

The design of my invention is to furnish, in a simple, inexpensive, and compact form,

means whereby the lungs may be tested and strengthened, to-which end it consists, principally, in the construction of the casing which incloses the recording mechanism, substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter specified.

It consists, further, in the construction of the bezel and its combination with the casing, substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter shown.

It consists, further, in the construction of the back and its combination with the casing, substantially as and for "the purpose hereinafter set forth. I

It consists, further, in the construction of the spring barrel or cylinder and its combination with the casing, substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter shown and described.

It consists, further, in the construction of the piston and its combination with the cylinder, substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter specified.

It consists, further,,in the combination of the cylinder-piston and compression-spring, substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter shown.

It consists, further, in the means employed -for adjusting the pistonwithin the cylinder with reference to the compression-spring, substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter set forth.

It consists, further, in the means employed for communicating the motion of the pistonrod to the indicator, substantially as is hereinafter shown and described.

It consists, further, in the means employedfor causing said indicator to remain at the point to which it is moved by the piston, substantially as hereinafter specified.

It consists, further, in the means employed for setting the indicator at zero, substantially as hereinaftershown.

It consists, finally, in the device as a whole, its several parts being constructed and combined to operate in the manner and for the purpose hereinafter set forth.

In the annexed drawings, A represents a cylindrical casing which has one closed end, a, and one open end, a. Said casing is formed by drawing from one piece of sheet metal, and its closed end a is surrounded by an annular half-round bead, a, while its said open end a is inclosed by means of a head, B, that has a concave outer face, and is provided with a peripheral flange, b, which fits over and closely embraces the periphery of said casing at its rear edge.

Fitted into a corresponding opening in the lower side of the pepriphery of the casing A is a cylinder, D, that has about one-half the diameter of the former and a length equal'to about three times its diameter. Said cylinder -is, like said casing, formed by drawing from one piece of sheet metal, audits upper inner end is closed and its cornersrounded, whileits lower end is open andis inclosed by means of a cap, E, that fits over the same, and is provided with a collar, e,]for the reception of one end of a flexible tube, F.'

Placed axially within the cylinder D is'a' rod, G, that has its ends threaded, and upon its upper end, which projects through an opening in the upper end of said cylinder, is placed.

ward flare, while upon its upper side is formed a central boss, 72, that has a diameter of about th rec-fourths the diameter of said cylinder.

The disk H has a diameter nearly equal to the interior diameter of the cylinder D, and within its concave lower side is fitted a disk, of leather, rubber, or other like flexible mate- .rial, I, which has a diameter somewhat greater than that of said cylinder. A second metal disk, K, having substantially the diameter of said disk H, and having its upper face fitted to and corresponding with the lower concave face of the latter, is placed next said leather disk and is held closely against the same by means of a nut, 9 that is fitted upon the threaded lower end of the rod G.

As arranged, the disks H, I, and K constitute a piston, and in consequence of the concave and convex inner faces of said disks H and K, respectively, said flexible disk has its projecting edge turned downward and outward, and by air-pressure upon the lower side of said piston will be caused to press against the inner face of the cylinder D and form a close joint. A spiral spring, L, placed between the upper end of said cylinder and said piston, holds the latter with a yielding pressure at the lower limit of its motion and returns it to such point when released by airpressure, as hereinafter described.

The rounded corners of the upper closed end of the cylinder D and the boss h of the piston H operate to hold the ends of the spring L central and prevent friction from contact with the sides of said cylinder, while the threaded upper end of the rod G and its nutg permit the distance between said piston and said cylinder end to be varied, in order to adapt the space to the length of said spring and enable the latter to be loosely confined therein with out end shake.

Journaled axially within the end a of the casing A and the head B is an arbor, M, which centrally is provided with a pinion,m,and upon its front projecting end carries a pointer, m, and upon its rear projecting end receives a detachable thumbpiece, m At one side of i and slightly below said arbor is journaled a toothed segment, N, which meshes with said pinion, and is provided with a radial arm, a, that is engaged by the upper end of the rod G, the arrangement being such that an upward movement of said rod will cause said segment to be moved upon or around its axis and said arbor to be rotated.

A curved spring, 0, placed over the rear portion of the arbor M, with its center beariug against a shoulder, m that is formed upon the latter, and its ends bearing against the inner face of the head B, operates by friction to hold said arbor in the position to which it is rotated by the upward movement of the rod G, and also" prevents the arm a of the seg ment N from being carried by momentum out of contact with said rod.

A graduated scale, P, formed upon the outer face of the casing end a, completes the device,

the operation of which is as follows, viz: The apparatus is held in convenient position in front of a person, and the outer end of the flexible tube F, which at such point is provided with a mouth-piece, f, is placed in the mouth of said person, who then forces air from the lungs through said tube into the cylinder D and raises the piston a distance equal to the force exerted, which distance is indicated by the pointer m, that has previously been placed at zero by means of the thumb piece m The scale Q and pointer m are inclosed by means of a disk of glass, R, which is placed over the same, and rests upon the bead a and a bezel, S, that inclose the edge of said glass and the adjacent periphery of the casing A.

The device described not only affords means for determining the comparative strength of a persons lungs, but also for increasing such strength, as each effort made to move the pointer beyond the point last reached causes the lungs to be expanded to an unusual degree, and by repetition to become permanent, while the exercise operates to strengthen both lungs'and chest-muscles.

Having thus fully set forth the nature and merits of my invention, what I claim as new 1. In combination with the main casing A, the cylinder D, closed at one'end and attached atthat end to the sideof the casing A, the cap E at one end fitting upon and over the open outer end of the cylinder, and at the other reduced in size to form a nozzle for the attachment of a flexible tube, and the spring-piston in the chamber having the inner end of its rod passing through the inner end of the cylinder and adapted to actuate suitable indicating mechanism within the casing A, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In combination with the cylinder D and easing A, the piston within the cylinder, the piston-rod extending through the cylinder end into the casing A, the spring aroundsuch rod between the piston and the cylinder end, the screw-nut on the inner end of the piston-rod adapted to be screwed up against the cylinder end to adjust the rod longitudinally, and suitable registering or indicating means within the casing adapted to be operated by endwise movement of the projecting rodend, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In combination with the cylinder and piston-head therein, the piston-rod G, projecting through the cylinder end, the spiral spring around the rod between the piston-head and the cylinder end, the pivoted toothed segment N, the radial arm on the segment unconnected with the piston-rod, but adapted to be-engaged by it as'it is thrust inward by the movement of the piston-head, the arbor M, the pinion thereon meshing with the segment, the index hand or pointer on the arbor, and a friction device adapted to hold the arbor as rotated by theaction of the piston-rod upon the segment, substantially as and for the purpose described.

of the rod, and a spring normally pressing such piston-head outward in the cylinder, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I 15 have hereunto set my hand this 15th day of March, 1884.

n. Azno A. BUCK.

Witnesses:

NETTIE M. BUCK, Gno. S. PRINDLE. 

